Texas has begun arresting illegal immigrants in Shelby Park in the border town of Eagle Pass. Authorities are accusing them of criminal trespassing. This was confirmed by Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety-Southern Region.
Under the authority of Gov. @GregAbbott_TX’s Border Disaster Declaration, @TxDPS Troopers are arresting illegal immigrants for criminal trespass at #ShelbyPark in Eagle Pass. Troopers are enforcing criminal trespass on single adult men & women. The State of #Texas will maintain a… pic.twitter.com/EuRhYDNYLH
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) January 18, 2024
"Troopers arrest two males for criminal trespass from the Republic of Azerbaijan. At 7:30 pm, troopers encountered a group of 3 illegal immigrants who trespassed Shelby Park by crossing through the concertina wire," explained Olivarez.
NEW: @TxDPS Troopers arrest two males for criminal trespass from the Republic of Azerbaijan. At 7:30 pm, troopers encountered a group of 3 illegal immigrants who trespassed at #ShelbyPark by crossing through concertina wire. The two males from Azerbaijan & one from Ecuador were… pic.twitter.com/62fkybSQ4b
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) January 19, 2024
Biden sends 'threatening letter'
The situation comes at a time of increased tension between the Texan government and the Biden administration over control of Shelby Park. Just this Wednesday, state Attorney General Ken Paxton responded to a letter sent by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding that the state end its increased border security measures.
Paxton noted that Texas continues to allow Border Patrol to use the Shelby Park boat ramp to provide emergency medical care when necessary. "Instead of addressing Texas' urgent requests for protection, President Biden has authorized DHS to send a threatening letter through his attorneys," Paxton said in his response.
Despite the efforts from the Democratic government to block the immigration policies promoted by Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, the Republican has managed to keep his measures to confront illegal immigration in place. For example, on Thursday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the state to maintain border buoys in the Rio Grande, which were installed in July of last year, while it reviews the case. The court accepted Governor Greg Abbott's request to have a hearing with the entire Fifth Circuit instead of the three-judge panel that made the initial call to decide on the immigration measure.
